AQW 21414/17-22

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 05/07/2021
Answered On Date: 28/07/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities whether she has any plans to pay carers that are in receipt of Carers Allowance, a COVID-19 recognition payment.

Answer:

At the end of January 2021 the Minister of Health, announced that his Department would be making a one-off payment to health and social care workers in recognition of the work they had undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time he also indicated that his Department was considering a similar payment for unpaid carers but further scoping work was still required in connection to this. As I understand this payment is still under consideration by the Department of Health.